Rise and Fall
by NeonZangetsu
Summary: It was a cold December evening in Gotham City when the Batman first met the Fox. It was also the beginning of the worst crises ever to confront Gotham City and its Dark Knight. An unprecedented gathering has turned its eye toward the city, determined to bring about its destruction. By the end of the conflict a hero would rise...and a man would fall. Narutoxharem. BrucexSelina.


**A/N: Just roll with it, everything is explained in the autho's note below.**

_"A calling card? Hmm...I'll have to get me one of those._

_~The Fox._

**Acquaintance**

It was a cold December evening in Gotham City when the Batman first met the Fox.

Snowflakes swirled through the night, harbingers of the coming winter storm. It was in this storm that the Dark Knight first met him. The most enigmatic of men and by far the most outrageous.

Garbed in red and black, he certainly stood out more than most supervillians he'd faced. That is, assuming this was, in fact, a villian, not some sideshow freak who fancied a stroll in formfitting tights. He certainly was brazen, though, cracking a safe while the alarms still blared, ignorant of anyone who approached his rooftop perch. He barely took notice of anyone or anything...until the darkness took shape. Until it assumed a form of blackness and dread, swooping down from an adjacent tower to alight soundlessly behind him.

The blonde tilted his head aside, cocking it ever so slightly at the noise.

"So we meet at last." He chirruped happily, condescendingly, refusing to be distracted from his work. "Am I finally worthy of your time, oh mighty bat?"

Batman didn't give him the satisfaction of rising to the taunt.

"You've been responsible for a string of break-ins in this area as of late, punk." The Dark Knight glowered down at the blond-haired stranger. "What are you after?"

But the boy wasn't listening.

"Punk?" The blond rounded on him abruply, revealing the snarling face of a fox-a kitsune-obscuring most of his upper face and cheeks, thought certainly not his mouth. "_Punk?"_ He repeated, his voice rising with sheer and utter incredulity. "You've some nerve, calling me that! How dare you!" Then, as if realizing to whom he was speaking, the blond calmed himself. I'm no punk. Call me...Fox." He gestured to the broken bodies lying at their feet, the true burgulars, it seemed. "And as you can see the Fox has done your work for you. Again."

Batman frowned.

"You can't be serious."

The Fox uttered a japanese impreciation.

"Of course I am you blithering fool!" He threw up his arms in exasperation. "Zoro was already taken and I can't very well go around calling myself Kyuubi or Kurama now, can I! Besides, you're not one to talk, batman!" He thrust an imposing finger at the caped crusader. "Your moniker is no better than mine where I hail from so you can just shut it!"

The bat folded his arms.

"I'll say it again...what are you after?"

The blond snorted and returned his attention to cracking the safe.

"What am I after indeed?" he grumbled as he fiddled with the lockpicks. "You've already asked me that. Twice!" He exclaimed pointedly, before returning to his work. The Batman was beginning to lose his patience and not just because of the boy's antics. Selina would have his head-whipped!-if he wasn't home soon.

"Answer me!" he growled, fists clenching in frustration.

The blond chuckled.

"Temper temper, Bats!"

Beneath the cowl, Bruce grimaced. He had problems enough without being upstaged by an upstart. Nearly a third of his age and, as evidenced by the broken bodies of the burglars lying at his feet, already no stranger to violence. But was he a killer? That remained to be seen. He oozed confidence on an almost ephermal level; his very step held swagger, bespoken of a life learned on the streets. Not to mention his attire. Were it not for that absurd orange mask of his and those whiskers_-were they painted on or something?-_his identity would've been a dead give away.

As it were, his very prescence practically demanded attention.

"You're one to talk." The Fox removed his fingers from the safe and emerged with his prize, a glittering tablet as large as the palm of his hand. Strange, arcane writing was enscribed into its surface, and the faintest of faint scents could be sensed from it. The smell of blood. That tablet. It couldn't possibly be-

He'd never know.

Abruptly, the blond thrust the tablet into the ground, crushing it to powder beneath his heel. Batman looked on in silent disbelief as the blond swore in his native language before turning his attention to the safe in utter aggravation. With a single kick, he sent it hurtling through the air-and it was with some disbelief that the Dark Knight watched it splash down in the bay. What kind of strength was that? Did it come from his strange yet elaborate suit? Or was the strength merely his own?

"Well, damn." The Fox spat, his smile dimming in the wake of this revelation. "I should've known this one was a fake, too."

"You saw through it that easily?"

The Fox arched a slender brow.

"I'm not some second-hand thief like your little kitty-cat, Bats."

Bruce bristed.

"I have no idea who you're talking about."

The masked kitsune tittered softly to himself, blue eyes glittering with excitement and anticpation. And perhaps, just a hint of scorn.

"Yes yes yes, I'm quite aware of your...relationship with Ms. Kyle." he waved a hand dismissively. "Like I said, I'm not interested in her, bats. Not even a tiddly bit. Rather, I'm interested in the most _lovely_ little artifact this side of Gotham City." He flicked his fingers and it was only then that the Dark Knight recognized the thief's rings for what they truly were. Brass knuckles, the very thing you wore when you wanted to infict pain on on your opponent. To break them, but not kill them. A knife or a gun could just as easily do the job better than a pair of fists.

"Now, are going to chat like gentlemen or would prefer to settle this in a more...uncivilized manner."

If anything, Fox's smile only grew.

"I thought you might say that." He sighed, shoulders slumping as he pushed a had through his sandy blond hair. "Such a dissapointment_...Mr. Wayne."_

_"How-_

The fox rolled his shoulders easily.

"You think you were the only one who ever left the League of Shadows? Who ever trained under Ra's Al Ghul?"

"You left the League?" Bruce asked, surpised.

"Excommunicated, actually." The fox admitted sheepishly. "Buncha stuck up pricks; they reminded me of a former teammate of mine."

"You do know I can't let you leave now."

"I was expecting something like that, yes."

Oddly enough, the boy reminded him of Bane. If Bane were a tittering psychopath who got off on messing with people's heads WITHOUT nuclear genocide, that is. Even amongst his most deadly enemies, he owed that man at least a small modicum of respect. But the Fox? He owed _him_ nothing. And no one insulted Selina. No one mocked him either, whether in combat or by flaunting his public identity. Not him, not her, not this man.

_Not anyone._

Without hesitation he launched himself toward his enemy. His cloak spreading out behind him, he swooped at Fox, drawing his fist back to deliver a knockout blow. His clenched knuckles flew at the blond burgular, who caught it easily with his bare hand, squeezing until the bones ground together.

"Not bad." The master thief noted. "Not a good punch by any means, but certainly not a bad punch, either."

Grunting, Batman attempted a gut punch with his other fist but the thief effortlessly blocked the blow. He had, indeed, some formal training. He couldn't discern what exactly, that sort of training that might've been but whatever it was, it allowed the slim fighter to restrain him with only minimal effort. Straining against the warrior thief_-he'd no doubt of his abilities now that's for certain-_the Dark Knight resorted to the only other option left to him, ungraceful as it migth've been.

Bruce's knee shot out like a rocket and into the blonde's groin, and, for the first time since they'd met, the Fox's smile vanished.

"Bloody buggerin' hell!" He hissed through clenched teeth, his eyes grwing large and pained behind the mask. "Now that just wasn't _fair."_

"Neither is this." Bruce replied, wrenching his hand free from the man's hand and thrusting it upward, palm first.

The blonde's head snapped backwards with the blow, his body reeling. But, much like a certain clown Bruce had come to despise, the smile never quite left his face. He drew back, half a pace, nothing more. Azure eyes gleamed brightly in the gloom before they suddenly snapped into a sickening shade of scarlet. Wiping a thin trickle of blood from his mouth, the reinvigorated blond pinnioned his opponet with a baleful glare.

"I see we aren't pulling our punches tonight." He reachd into one of the many pockets aligning his vest, and withdrew a small, ruby red pill. He held it up, the tiny capsule glinting in the moonlight. "The doc told me not to take these unless I absolutey have to," he explained. "Can't use my abilities properly wihout 'em, you see. Body can't handle the strain. But for you, bats?" The Fox grinned a wicked grin, a gorgeous streak, of white, in the dark of the night. "I'll show you special." Before Bruce realized his own peril, before could think to stop him, the blond popped the pill and swallowed, hard.

"Ah," he sighed with a visible breath misting out from his lips in the chill of winter. "Muuuuuch better." He threw his arm up, hands tpressed together, palms facing inwards like some penitent monk. "Using these might shave a year or two off my life, but it'll be well woth it to wipe that smug smirk off your face."

Without warning the Fox lunged forward and into the darkness and caught Batman's throat in his grasp. Only the reinforced neckpiece kept his windpipe from being crushed in an instant. The Fox slammed batman into the concrete floor hard enough to dash any man's brains out. His bare fists pounded on Batman's cowl with unbelievable force blow after blow smashing down like a jackhammer. Concussed and breathless, Batman did the only thing he could do, the only thing any man could think to do in such a situation as this.

He headbutted him.

_Hard._

Stars exploded before his eyes and he groaned, wincing in the same instant as the Fox yelpled and stepped backwards. And for a moment, just a moment, Batman, Bruce Wayne, infamous billionare and former playboy of Gotham, saw someone else standing in the boy's place

His own cloak billowed around him like a creature alive and for a moment_-just a moment-_Bruce Wayne was filled with dread. Years of honed instincts overpowered that fear, however, and he found himself following up his first strike, driving forward thrusting an elbow in the burgular's gut. The Fox gave a small grunt, staggered back three paces, pinwheeled at the rooftop's edge. His eyes flew wide with disbelief and Bruce's with each the same horror as the Fox pitched backwad, as he lunged forward. _Too late._ The Fox toppled backward with a cry, plummeting to his death in the alleyways below.

Batman limped after him with slow steps, half-expecting to see the berserker' broken body in the sreets below, nestled between the dumpsters. Theentire night seemed to be spinning around him, and he felt sick to his stomach. Through the fog, he recognize the symptoms of a serious concussion. And still he forced himself to move, to peered over the ledge, searching for the corpse of the man he'd surely_-albeit accidentally-_murdered in cold blood.

What he found was something else entirely. The Fox stood only a few feet below, alighted upon the side of the building as though it were an everday occurence. He wasn't smiling. Not anymore. He shook his head arms coming uncrossed as he leered up at the Batman, the man responsible for nearly sendng him to his doom twice now.

"That wasn't very nice." He hissed. "If I didn't know how to walk on walls, well...its a damned good thing I don't want you dead. However," He flexed his slim arms, menacingly. "I think...its about time we dispense with the warm, up wouldn't you agree?"

Bruce cringed. That beating had been a warm-up? He suddenly felt woozy and not just because of the concussion. Nevertheless, he raised his fists. The Fox sighed, his cape fluttering in the breeze as he advanced along the length of the wall towards the battered knight. He seemed almost...reluctant to continue. But reluctance or no, his advance was relentless, leaving the Dark Knight with little choice but to step away.

"But first, a question."

Not trusting himself in close combat with the berserker, Bruce stepped back from the ledge, readying himself for the hell that was to come. But the blond never came. Instead he lingered there, just out of sight, titterng softly to himself, to the both of them.

"Tell me, Bats," The Fox's words sailed up at him, "What would you do if you knew you were dying?" The question hung there, mocking him. "Well? Perhaps I should rephrase that. Alright, how about this. What...would you do if you knew you only had a little time left?" And still the questions came. "You ever had anyone special? I did, once. Funny thing, that. She's dead now, of course. Died of some rare disease or such. If you knew there was a way to bring that girl, your girl, back, to hold her in your arms, one last time before you died, what would you do? What would you do_**...if you knew there was a way to be with her forever?"**_

The sudden inquiry caught the Dark Knight flatfooted, his guard momentarily slipping as the man's hands blurred with obscene red energy. He'd seen many things in his storied career as the Batman. This was none of them. The blow powered through his guard as though it were powder and connected; striking the caped crusade across the jaw with a deafening pop. The smell of burning flesh assaulted his nostrils, and it wasn't long before he realized that his chin bore burn marks of its own; thin slices lining the length of his chin, more cosmetic damage than anything else.

The Fox soared over him, effortessly evading the half-hearted kick aimed at his chest.

"What are you planning?"

"Ah, ah ah!" The masked man waggled a finger. "You never answered my question. Then again, I don't suppose you ever will. Well, its been a pleasure meeting you, but I'm afraid my master is calling." His cloak flared for a final time as the Fox stepped backward and this time, he made little effort to slow his descent. Wrapping the garment around himself, the Fox Laughed as Brue gave chase, laughed; it was a deep, throaty sound.

"Be seeing you, bats!"

Cackling, he flung himself backward and into the shadows, vanishing into thin air before he so much as struck the ground.

He had the succinct feeling they'd be meeting gain.

**A/N: Got the idea after watching the Dark Knight Rises. A superb film by the way, one you simply must see! TChristian Bale and Anne Hathaway make quite the pair! This is a divergent of that story, their story, and, for those of you who have seen the ending, well, I think you know at what point the story changes. A few notable villians have been mentioned, making it quite clear that, while this story draws from elements of the Dark Knight Rises, it is its own story and therefore technically AU.**

**BRUCEXSELINA FTW!**

**Also as anothr note...**

**No, Naruto is not a villian. A thief, perhaps, but not a villian. He's simply looking for a way to revive a long lost love of his-and no, it is not Sakura. I leave her identity to you, dear reader, to suss out. Will other infamous villainesses appear in this story, Poison Ivy Harely Quinn, etc? Perhaps. Will they be featured as love interests? Again, perhaps. Nothing is for certain, only that this story WILL be updated just as I've been updatng all my oter fics recently. Major villains make appearances next time! There's a hint below:**

**So...why so serious? ****REVIEW!**

**R&R! =D**


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